My Dear Little Misty,

Little did I know when we got you, how much you would teach me, how loyal you would be to me, and how much I would love you. Just 2.5 pounds when we brought you home, you wanted nothing more than us, this family of four, to love and to love you back.

So, when we discovered your birth defect of bilateral luxating patella a mere month after bringing you home from the breeder, there was not a moment that we thought of returning you. Instead, your breeder returned your purchase price to us so that we could fix those little knees, and we did. The surgeon did the best he could, but you were left with knees that would not allow you to go up or down stairs or onto a couch. That’s OK, we have been lifting and carrying you for 7 years and will do this for 100 years, if you live that long.

The way you look at me, it makes me feel as if I am every thing good in the world, because that is what you see in me. Such a powerful gift you give to me every day, that I am a hero, that I have the unconditional love and loyalty of a very special citizen of earth.

You are my heart dog, you live there every moment of every day. As I’ve learned to live with the disability of advancing Multiple Sclerosis, it has been you who has been by my side every moment, bringing me a type of comfort that my human companions cannot provide.

I work every day to be worthy of your love, loyalty and devotion. You have made me a better person than I ever dreamed I would be. You, Misty, it’s you who has made me whole.